Mr. and Mrs. Brown were forever having trouble with their numerous and incredibly naughty children . . . until the day Nurse Matilda entered their lives.

First published nearly fifty years ago, Nurse Matilda and its two companion books-Nurse Matilda Goes to Town and Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital-have charmed readers ever since.

Stories behind the "Nanny McPhee" movie. Edward Ardizzone, the illustrator, was Christianna Brand's cousin, seven years older. Their shared grandmother had told the Nurse Matilda stories to both cousins and she had learned them from her father.